The present invention relates generally to foldable or collapsible seating arrangements, and more particularly to such seating arrangements for the interiors of automotive vehicles.
In various types of automotive seating arrangements, it is frequently desirable, or even necessary, to provide the capability of relocating, flattening, folding, collapsing, or even completely removing a seat assembly in order to increase the vehicle's cargo space, accommodate large or bulky items that need to be transported, to use the seat as a bed, or to otherwise enhance the vehicle's utility or meet the desires or needs of the user. Such capability is especially important in vans, minivans, recreational vehicles, or multipurpose vehicles, as well as in other similar types of vehicles.
In an attempt to provide the capability for variable seating configurations, a number of widely varying seating arrangements have been devised in order to accomplish these objectives. Although many of these prior art arrangements have performed fairly well and have served their intended purposes in varying degrees, they have typically suffered from the disadvantages of being overly complex, cumbersome or difficult to manufacture, install or operate, being heavy and thus requiring high degrees of user effort to actuate them, or they have unable to provide the desired amount of clearance without interfering with other fixed or movable seating units or other functions of the vehicle.
Some examples of prior art folding seat arrangements are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,627,656; 4,484,776; 4,805,953; 4,869,541; 4,932,706; 4,957,321; 4,986,591; and 5,044,683, for example, with the arrangements disclosed in these patents suffering from one or more of the above-discussed disadvantages or others.
In order to overcome the above-described difficulties and disadvantages of such prior variable-configuration seating systems, the present invention provides a folding seat assembly that is especially adapted for use in a vehicle interior, that is relatively simple and economical to manufacture and install, that is convenient and easy for a user to operate, that maximizes the utility of the seat assembly and thus the vehicle, and that minimizes the space occupied in a stored, or stowage, configuration, as well as the interference with other vehicle components.
In a preferred form of the invention, the folding bedseat assembly includes a lower frame, upon which a lower seat cushion is mounted or attached, a support mechanism for supporting the lower frame, and thus the seat assembly, in the vehicle interior and operable for moving the lower frame between a generally horizontal position, referred to as a "use" position, and a generally vertical position, referred to as a "stowage" position.
The preferred support mechanism includes first and second retention means, with the first retention means being adapted for releasably retaining the lower frame in the use position, and the second retention means being adapted for releasably retaining the lower frame portion of the seat assembly in the stowage position. The support mechanism also includes a single actuation lever or handle, operable by the user for easily moving the lower frame between the use position and the stowage position.
Typically, the seat assembly also includes an upper frame, upon which an upper cushion is mounted or attached. Such upper frame is pivotally interconnected with the lower frame, with the upper frame being foldable between at least an unfolded, generally vertical use position and a forwardly folded stowage position, as well as an optional backwardly folded position, generally flat with respect to the lower frame such that the seat assembly can optionally be used as a bed. The pivotal movement of the upper frame between or among such positions is preferably substantially independent of the movement or position of the lower frame, although in some applications, certain upper frame positions may be required when the lower frame is in the storage or stowage position in order to minimize the storage space occupied or to minimize interference with other items.
Also, in the preferred seating assembly according to the invention, the above-mentioned support mechanism includes front and rear support members or subassemblies that are both actuable by the above-mentioned single actuating lever or handle, and that are capable of moving or articulating in combination with each other in a manner such that when moved to the stowage position, the seat assembly does not project forwardly substantially beyond its forward projection when in its use position, thereby minimizing its stowage space requirements and its interference with other seating or other interior components when stowed, and thus enhancing rather than limiting the utility of the vehicle under a wide variety of situations encountered by the user.
Additional objects, advantages, and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.